Obituary: Raimund Ainson

Raimund Ainson, 89, of Branford, died of natural causes on January 17, 2013.He was born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1923 and immigrated to the U. S. in 1930 to escape Russian imperialism. Raimund was processed through Ellis Island and became a U. S. citizen. When World War II broke out, he enlisted in the Navy and became a fighter pilot, flying F-6F’s and Hellcat’s off of aircraft carriers. He was stationed in Hawaii. After the war he enlisted in the Naval Reserves and flew out of Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, NY.

Raimund owned a business in NYC and was a furniture salesman in his later years. He enjoyed boating and the beach, and was an avid NY Yankees and football Giants fan. He was always very proud of his flowers and vegetable gardens. He was a terrific chef and a lover of ’20’s, ’30’s and ’40’s jazz bands. He played drums in clubs in NYC as a teen.

Raimund is survived by his wife of 67 years, Helen; his daughter Erica Jensen Griffin, long-time owner of Helen Ainson in Darien, and her husband Jeffrey, of Rowayton, CT; his son Geoffrey and his wife Diane, of Branford; and his four grandchildren, Brittany and Katrina Jensen and Danielle and John Ainson.

A private memorial service will be held Friday January 25, 2013 at the W. S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home, 244 North Main St., Branford, CT.